Warriors’ Lacob on Durant, Green: ‘We’re not...

1of12Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green receives his 2018 NBA Championship ring from owner Joe Lacob during a ceremony before Opening Night game against Oklahoma City Thunder at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif. on Tuesday, October 16, 2018.Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle

2of12Golden State Warriors new owners Joe Lacob, left, gestures as Peter Guber, right, looks on during their introduction at a luncheon in San Francisco, Monday, Nov. 15, 2010. The sale of the Golden State Warriors NBA basketball team was completed last week to an ownership group headed by Lacob and Guber. Lacob will serve as co-executive chairman, CEO and governor and Guber will serve as co-executive chairman and alternate governor.Photo: Eric Risberg / AP

3of12Golden State Warriors' Kevin Durant (35) talks with Draymond Green after a turnover during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)Photo: David J. Phillip / Associated Press

4of12Golden State Warriors' Kevin Durant, left, and Draymond Green sit on the bench during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)Photo: David J. Phillip / Associated Press

5of12Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant look on during overtime during game 1 of The NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Oracle Arena on Thursday, May 31, 2018 in Oakland, Calif.Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

6of12Golden State Warriors' Kevin Durant (35) pats Draymond Green (23) on the chest after a turnover during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)Photo: David J. Phillip, Associated Press

7of12Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors talks with Draymond Green #23 during the second half of the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on October 30, 2016 in Phoenix, Arizona. Photo: Christian Petersen, Getty Images

8of12Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant, right, reacts as he fouls out of the game while forward Draymond Green, left, and guard Andre Iguodala look on during the overtime portion of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers Monday, Nov. 12, 2018, in Los Angeles. The Clippers won 121-116 in overtime. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)Photo: Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press

9of12Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green exults after Kevin Durant hit 3-pointer late in 4th quarter of Warriors' 110-102 win over Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH on Wednesday, June 6, 2018.Photo: Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

10of12Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, center, talks to Kevin Durant, right, and Draymond Green during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Oklahoma City Thunder Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP

11of12Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors tries to calm down teammate Draymond Green #23 after a foul in the second half of a NBA game against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena on October 19, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Photo: Gene Sweeney Jr., Getty Images

12of12Draymond Green laugh with Kevin Durant during a rally before the Golden State Warriors NBA Championship parade in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, June 12, 2018.Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle

Joe Lacob has a message for Warriors fans.

“I’ve read and heard all the things people are talking about. That we’re choosing one person over another. We’re not choosing anybody over anybody.”

The Warriors owner, of course, was referring to the one-game suspension of Draymond Green, following an ugly confrontation with Golden State teammate Kevin Durant on Monday. Insults were hurled. Feelings hurt. And when the dust cleared, it was Green who sat out a game, without pay, costing him about $120,000.

The All-Star forward plans to appeal that garnish, fueling speculation he felt the punishment was unfair. Others chimed in, saying Warriors management was simply trying to appeal to Durant, who can walk away from the best team in the world this summer if he sees fit.

It’s all made for high-stakes, high-drama theater. You could say Lacob is the producer of the show.

Lacob, who spoke to The Chronicle prior to his induction to the Bay Area Council’s Business Hall of Fame this week (alongside co-owner Peter Guber), has plenty of experience with management headaches. He’s a billionaire venture capitalist, after all. I asked him whether this was just that, a management problem.

But isn’t it a risky move to suspend one of the players involved, and not both? Isn’t that choosing sides?

“It never even occurred to us. That’s not the point,” said Lacob. “The point is, whether it would be any employee, they’d have to act certain ways to be our employee. Draymond knows that he went beyond — won’t say what he did, or what he said, or anything like that — he went beyond what we felt appropriate, so it didn’t matter who it was.

“And he understands that, by the way. I’ve been texting with him, and he totally gets it. I do have a great relationship with him, and I still do.”

It remains to be seen how this rift will play out in the locker room, on the court this season and at the negotiating table this summer. The Warriors will have to address contract status with Klay Thompson and Durant this summer, and with Green next summer. That’s a high number, whomever you sign.

But Lacob sees all this as regular business. Common friction that one simply manages, then moves on.

“Any company. Every company. It’s no different than any other company. We all, including me, have to be held accountable how we represent the organization, the NBA, and it’s as simple as that,” said Lacob. “That’s for our coach and our GM to deal with. I’m sure (Durant and Green will) act professionally going forward. … I’m really not worried at all.”

Lacob seemed supremely confident on that point. And that makes sense for a self-made billionaire who has turned a laughingstock organization into the pride of all professional sports. He tends to get things done, one way or another.

But the players and the fans and the media, for that matter, seem to be less confident. There’s a wrinkle in the Warriors’ vortex, and we’re not sure when or if it will be ironed out.

As Warriors beat writer Connor Letourneau pointed out, two-time MVP Stephen Curry will play a huge role in terms of leadership and peacemaking. Thompson provides another powerful buffer. Kerr is the best in the business. But it will come down to whether Durant forgives Green for his indiscretions. Whether Green forgives Durant for calling him out in the first place. Whether Green forgives the organization for punishing him publicly.

“I don’t think there’s any reason to feel uneasy. We’re in first place,” said Lacob, doubling down on his message of calm. “When you’re on top, everyone’s coming to get you. Not only on the court, but off the court. We understand that. All we can control is how we act and what we do. What reporters write is not really relevant, to be honest.”

(Ummm ... I’ll leave that sit.)

“I think the media has been fair … given what they know, which is never all the details, of course, and nor should they,” Lacob continued. “I understand everything’s under scrutiny. And everything gets a lot of attention. That goes with the territory of who we are, of what we’ve done and where we’re going. We get that. I have no problem with it.”

We closed our conversation with the biggest issue this whole dustup has uncovered. Is this the last straw for KD? Has he had enough of Draymond’s drama? I toured the team’s new arena with Durant the week before last — just three days before the confrontation exploded in Los Angeles. He seemed to love Chase Center, which will open in San Francisco next fall. I asked Lacob whether that could sway Durant’s thinking on staying with the team.

“Yeah, he said it was great. Loved it,” said Lacob. “I have no idea. He’s earned the right to be a free agent. I’ve said this a million times. He will make whatever decision is best for him. It’s our job to present (Durant) with an opportunity that we think is great to be in our organization. Of course, I’d like him to be in our organization long term. But if he wants to short term, year-by-year, which he’s done so far, that’s also fine.

“That’s his choice. He’s earned the right. We respect it. I think he really loves it here. And we love him.”

Al Saracevic has worked for the San Francisco Chronicle since 2000, when he came over to the paper during the merger with the San Francisco Examiner. He started at the Hearst-owned Examiner in 1994. During his time at both papers, Al has held numerous jobs ranging from copy editor to wire editor to reporter to columnist to deputy section editor. He also served as Business Editor of The Chronicle before becoming sports editor in 2009.

Among the major stories Al has covered: the dot-com boom and bust of the 1990s; the California energy crisis of the early 2000s; the Web 2.0 revolution; the rebuilding of Iraq after the initial occupation of that country; the accounting, banking and real estate crises of the middle-2000s; two U.S. Open golf tournaments; the President’s Cup; the Fiesta Bowl; the Rose Bowl; two World Series; numerous NFL playoff games; and one Super Bowl. Currently, Al remains the sports editor of The Chronicle. He also pens a weekly column called From the Sports Desk. And in his spare time, he is the founding contributor to the paper’s online snow sports blog, Slope Dope.